US Offers Rp171 Billion Reward for Information on Kataib Hezbollah Leader

Kataib Hizbullah (Source: Kataibhezbollah.me)

JAKARTA - The United States on Tuesday said it would offer a reward of up to 10 million US dollars (Rp171,421,500,000) for information on Kataib Hezbollah Leader Ahmad Al Hamidawi.

In a statement, the Rewards for Justice program accused Al Hamidawi of directing attacks on US diplomatic facilities by Kataib Hizbullah, which is based in Iraq.

"For years, KH has repeatedly targeted US personnel and facilities in Iraq with IEDs, rockets, and drone systems, kidnapping US citizens, and killing innocent Iraqi civilians," the statement read, launching The National (15/4).

"As a KH leader, Al Hamidawi has played a central role in planning attacks against US and Iraqi government security forces since 2007," he added.

The statement also said Kataib Hezbollah members received "extensive training, weapons, and other support" from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

It is known that Kataib Hizbullah was designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 2009. In February 2020, the US State Department designated Al Hamidawi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

The group is believed to be behind several attacks on soldiers and US partners, including one in 2019 in Kirkuk that killed a US civilian contractor and wounded several others.

Kataib Hizbullah is also said to be behind the recent kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson.